Illinois’ Taxes On School Supplies Drop Next Month For 10 Days Only

The Illinois Family Relief Plan kicked off on July 1st, and taxes on several essentials have been or will be paused. Illinoisans have gotten a suspension of state tax on groceries for one year, a very temporary delay of a scheduled gas tax increase, direct checks for some families, the earned income tax credit, along with the doubling of property tax rebates.

And, parents looking to save some money on restocking their kids' school supplies are getting a break, too--but it's a very short break that you'll want to take advantage of before it completely disappears.

Illinois Families Will Get 10 Days, And Only 10 Days Of Reduced Sales Taxes On School-Related Supplies

Illinois has declared that August 5th through the 14th will be a "Sales Tax Holiday," and Illinois consumers can purchase certain clothing and school-related items and pay sales
tax at a reduced rate.

The state’s portion of sales tax due throughout the "holiday period" is reduced by 5 percent, from 6.25 percent to 1.25 percent.

You're Probably Wondering What "Certain Clothing And School-Related Items" Really Means

Well, according to the State of Illinois' tax-holiday information website, this tax holiday move includes "qualifying clothing and footwear with a retail selling price of less than $125 per item and certain school supplies used by students in the course of study. School supplies are not subject to the $125 threshold."

I'll list a few of the qualified items below, along with a link that will take you to the full listing of everything that qualifies for the temporary tax reduction.

Clothing:

• athletic supporters
• bathing suits and caps
• belts and suspenders
• coats and jackets
• gloves and mittens
• hats, caps, and ear muffs
• lab coats
• neckties
• rainwear
• rubber pants (covers for cloth
diapers)
• scarves
• underwear
• school uniforms
• shorts and pants
• skirts and dresses
• hosiery and pantyhose
• shirts and blouses

Footwear:

((Retail selling price must be less
than $125 per item))
• shoes, sneakers, and shoe laces
• sandals
• slippers
• socks and stockings
• footlets
• boots and overshoes
• insoles for shoes
• steel-toed shoes

For the full list of school supplies that qualify, along with a listing of clothing and school supplies that don't meet the criteria, click here.